Best Boresighter: 6 Accurate Boresighters For That One Perfect Shot

We know you know having the best boresighter you can afford is definitely worth it because its purpose is providing good alignment between the scope or sight of your rifle and the bore. And since optimal alignment equals an increased likelihood of shooting your actual target, you can see where we’re going with this.

You need to pick a good boresighter to do the job, though, and that’s what we’re here to help you with. We’ll tell you what factors are more likely to influence your buying decision and why.

After that, we’ll help you choose between six reliable products that will save your ammunition, make your shots more effective and check your gun’s zero without scaring away your game.

What To Consider Before Buying

There are several factors that influence your choice. To begin with, there are different sorts of boresighters, and these go with different rifles, for various distances and serve different purposes. But there are also your style and budget to consider, so read on.

Collimator Boresighters And Your Gun

As their name suggests, these have a collimator attached to the muzzle of your rifle. A magnet-attached collimator can be used with all guns, rifles, and firearms, regardless of its characteristics like barrel and caliber. The Arbor collimator needs the barrel to be more than four inches in length, and the caliber in the range of 22 – 45.

To align the sight with the bore, the reticles have to be adjusted so that they are directed towards the center point of your grid. Same goes if your firearm has sights instead of reticles. Then, set up the boresighter again and remember where the scope/ sights are, so you can check your rifle’s zero later on.

Laser Boresighters And Your Gun

These work with batteries and there are two types here two. The first one goes inside the rifle’s chamber, while the second inside the muzzle.

Since the chamber-type means the laser will come from the middle part of the bore, it can only work for distance ranges between 15 to 100 yards and with different kinds of barrel length. Conversely, the muzzle-type works at a similar distance range, between 10 – 100 yards, but needs a barrel that’s longer than 4 inches.

Accuracy

A laser boresighter is more precise. That means it can get you better shots, especially from further away. So, if you are a beginner or are interested in hunting at longer ranges, the laser type is the choice for you.

Conversely, if the thrill of the game is more your thing, not efficiency or how much ammunition you use, you can get a collimator boresighter. After all, the manufacturing process has progressed a lot thanks to all the technological advancements available, so you can still end up with a reliable product.

Efficiency

Again, the laser boresighters are less time-consuming when it comes to checking the zero of your rifle. That’s because you can do that whenever you want after the first time you zero it, and you don’t need to fire any shots for that.

But if you’re not in a place with a lot of game, you can risk it and fire a shot to zero your gun again. So if there aren’t many animals you can scare away with your shots, or if you’re not hunting for food, but for fun, a collimator boresighter is just fine.

Preferences

If you’re more technical and value precision, time management, and technologically-improved gadgets, a laser boresighter might be your thing. It might also be the right choice for you if you’re a beginner and need more help taking precise shots.

On the other hand, if you’re the type of hunter who doesn’t appreciate battery-operated gizmos or too many technical stuff that limits your skills and instincts, a collimator boresighter is better. Plus, if you’re not a complete newbie in the hunting game, you might be more versed in the art of hitting your target most of the time.

Budget

Money is always an issue, whether we like it or not. But if you’re a professional hunter, it’s worth investing in a more expensive product that can help you align the bore and the sight more precisely. It’s also worth investing in a complete package because there’s a lot of useful extras you might need.

However, you might just be interested in a boresighter that does what it promises, and that is aligning the two elements from its name. For this, you don’t need an item that will cost an arm and a leg, but you do need to buy from a reliable brand, that uses quality materials and sells reliable products. Nowadays, quality items aren’t all expensive.

With that in mind, let’s see how these factors come into play in the real world. We’ll talk about several boresighters on the market, each different from the other. Reading all the reviews below will help you compare these products and get one that suits your individual needs best.

Best Products On Today’s Market

Below you’ll find a list with the best products that deserve your attention so make sure you browse it thoroughly.

The Sightmark Triple Duty Universal is a laser boresighter, that’s more precise and helps you zero your gun fast, without firing any shots. This precision and efficiency are what make it great for competitive shooting when you don’t want any time lost. Moreover, this is a compact and light gadget that won’t inconvenience your shots.

Plus, since it’s a chamber-type of laser boresighter, that means you can use it with different sorts of firearms, like rifles and pistols. You just have to place its arbor inside the barrel of your gun, to make the base attach automatically with the help of a magnet.

The class III A laser helps you sight quick and easy, without any shots fired and it’s a green laser that’s visible during the day too. Therefore, the only time when you need to shoot is for fine tuning your gun, but the green light isn’t visible at more than 50 yards, so that’s a disappointment.

We like that this boresighter is easy to use, and can save up ammunition that’s better used elsewhere. We also appreciate the included carry pouch and limited lifetime warranty, especially because you might not like the battery holder at all.

Since there aren’t any good instructions, it can be pretty hard to connect the battery to the switch to make the boresighter functional. Not to mention the batteries run out pretty fast, though they are relatively costly.

Related: The Sightmark Triple Duty Universal Bore Sight (Red) is something we recommend if you want to save a few bucks. That’s because it only works during dim light, but with most of the same specs as the boresighter we just reviewed. It’s accurate and the laser light is very bright, but the LR44 batteries used aren’t readily available.

The 223 Red Dot In-Chamber Cartridge is a less expensive boresighter, but the downside is that this is a caliber specific unit, that fits a .223 chamber. That being said, we like that this is a high-quality product, made from brass which is another reason why it costs less. However, the brass outer case is resistant enough and it comes with a resealable package so you can store it accordingly.

Another reason we like this product is that it comes with included batteries, although they don’t have a very long lifespan here either. The reason is that it’s a laser boresighter too, but a chamber-type that can be used at distances between 15 to 100 yards, and it doesn’t require a specific barrel length.

Plus, it’s pretty accurate thinking that it can display a 2” dot at a distance of 100 yards, so it will help you be more efficient when hunting.

We like how fast it is to zero your gun and to sight with this gadget. Besides, it comes with a lifetime warranty to back its promises. However, keep in mind that because it’s a red light sort of laser, it doesn’t work during the day.

PROS:

Inexpensive.

Sturdy.

Efficient.

CONS:

Doesn’t work during the day.

Fast-dying batteries.

Related: We really like the CVLIFE 6- 9 Inches Tactical Rifle Bipod, that you might need if you’re planning a hunt that requires optimal precision. With this bipod, you won’t be holding the gun in your hands, so there’s little risk of erratic movements that make you miss your target. We like that it has return springs and five adjustable lengths for each leg, plus it allows an easy setup of your rifle.

The Bushnell Professional Boresighter Kit is a more expensive product, but it includes more than one thing. So you’ll get a sighting reticle with a graduated grid, each line being equal to 4 inches at 100 yards.

You’ll also get three arbors that are expandable and a pouch for easy carrying. The carrying case is a nice addition and decently built, and it has a magnetic latching system to keep the flap in place.

The included arbors mean this is a collimator type of boresighter, that’s attached with arbors, which enables you to shoot with weapons that have calibers between 0.22 and 0.45.

However, you can’t use it with all weapons of this caliber. It doesn’t work with AR-s or AK-s, and some reviewers mention it doesn’t work with a Colt 22LR. or a Mosin Nagant. So it’s wiser to get this kit if the scope of your rifle is closer than 1.5 inches to the barrel, which happens for low-profile rifles that are the standard type, intended for hunting.

We like that it’s amazingly built, and it has good optics. Though it’s not as precise as a laser boresighter, it will help you get an HD image. Conversely, take care that it might not come close to true zero, although it’s consistent enough, so you can easily adjust the scope reticles yourself to compensate this difference.

We also like that apart from the quality materials, which render it durable and with a cool-looking design, the boresight has undergone extensive testing. In fact, that’s the case with all the Bushnell products, which is why we recommend the brand.

Plus, the kit is compact and lightweight, so it’s easy to carry, not to mention it comes with a limited lifetime warranty.

PROS:

Can be used for bigger distances

Cool carry case

Consistent

CONS:

Not accurate

Doesn’t work with AK-s or AR-s

Related: We recommend the Bushnell .50 Caliber To 12-Gauge Expandable Arbor in case you need an extra arbor apart from the three included ones. You’ll get a qualitative product, that can fit various boresighters, with rifles between a smaller .50 caliber to a bigger 12 gauge. Not to mention the cool-looking silver design, which is to die for.

The BSA Bore Sighter Kit is a less expensive kit than the Bushnell kit, but it’s equally well reviewed. That’s because it’s also made from extremely qualitative materials, and though it doesn’t include a BSA scope, it has a very effective system that’s worth every penny.

So apart from being constructed well and it goes with multiple weapons, we like this kit because it gets rid of the need for long distances when you sight it in the first time. We also like that it can be used during the day, at bigger distances than most of the laser boresighters. That means it’s intended for professional shooters and hunters, and not that much for beginners.

And even if the optics are better than the Bushnell kit, meaning it can render the true zero, it’s way heavier. But it’s well equipped, so things balance out in the end. Another problem is that the rods aren’t that secure, so the sighter doesn’t hold too well.

PROS:

Good optics

Accommodates many calibers

Precise

CONS:

Heavy

Loose rods

Not for beginners

Related: We recommend getting the MTM Site-in-Clean Rest that is a sweet gadget to have for sighting your rifle or gun better. We like how its rear fork can easily be removed when you want to take a fast shot, which is a feat, especially for varmint hunters. The forks are qualitative since they’re made from rubber that’s been over-molded, and the adjustment knob helps you position your firearm very accurately in a horizontal position.

Sightmark Rifle Boresights

The Sightmark Rifle Boresights is a precise boresight that goes well with a .22 caliber long rifle rimfire. However, there are 18 other options to choose from when it comes to calibers, to make sure you get an appropriate product from the Sightmark brand. All of them are guaranteeing accuracy, apart from a quick zeroing and sighting.

We like that this promise is kept, meaning you won’t use too many ammunition, plus you’ll save a lot of time and keep the environment safer since there are fewer cartridges and shells used. More than that, this boresight comes with an included pouch for portability reasons, which make it easy to carry.

The class IIIA laser is 2 inches at 100 yards, which means you can use this boresighter during the day too if your target is close enough. It’s almost as expensive as the BSA bore kit, though, and the centering is a bit lacking too.

PROS:

Accurate

Fast

Qualitative

CONS:

Expensive

Doesn’t center well

Related: For a smaller price, we recommend this Sightmark 9mm Luger Laser Boresight that works very well with .380 caliber pistols. It has a class III A laser too, which means it will give you the same precise and fast shots, but it only works with pistols that have an ejection port that’s larger than 30mm.

The Leupold Zero Point Boresighter is one of the most precise and lightweight boresighters on the market. That makes it a valuable asset for hunters and competitive shooters alike, as well as law enforcement people.

The precision is courtesy of a unique system of the lens aperture, that gets rid of any mistakes when it comes to the point of aim, that might be caused by parallax. But not only are the optics amazing in that regard, but the target benefits from a natural backlighting so it can stand out.

And what’s more, there’s a LED illumination system which you can use in case you’re hunting in dim light. The battery life is 25 hours straight too, so that’s pretty good for a LED.

We like the magnetic collimator type because it allows you to use it with different sorts of firearms, regardless of caliber and barrel length. Besides, the inch scale is there for measuring the height of your riflescope and aim group sizes.

The downside is that it’s not for beginners and you need tons of practicing and fiddling to accommodate to how it works. As such, you have to set the boresight at a height that’s equal to the difference between the center of the barrel and the scope.

It certainly would have been more helpful if there were instructions for this, otherwise, you might just think it’s a worthless product.

PROS:

Extreme precision

Works with all caliber firearms

Amazing optics

CONS:

Curt instructions

Doesn’t work easily

Expensive

Related: If you’re into magnetic boresighters, we recommend this Bushnell Magnetic Boresighter that’s durable since it has a reticle made from etched glass. Plus, you can use it on any firearm, without additional arbors that might inconvenience you. And as opposed to the Leupold boresighter, this one is easier to sight in, not to mention cheaper.

What will it be?

With that said, you might consider buying a boresighter like the Sightmark Triple Duty or the Leupold Zero Point that can fit all guns, because you have different firearms. Or, you can get a very caliber-specific product like the 223 Bore Sight, if you have that a weapon with that chamber.

What’s more, laser boresighters like the Sightmark Rifle Boresights are amazing for precision, but not that good for daytime shooting, especially at a further distance. The collimator type on the other hand, like the Bushnell one, can be used during the day but aren’t as close to true zero.

In the end, the choice is yours. So tell us which boresighter you would prefer from our list and why. What have you missed? What have you tried and didn’t work? The comments are right below.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shawn Harrison

Shawn Harrison is our expert in hunting. He was born in Alaska, so hunting was his hobby since high school. Later, Shawn took a Hunter Training at Alaska Department of Fish and Game to structure his knowledge and now he is open to share his knowledge with our readers. Shawn is taking ‘Safety First’ approach on all of his trips, especially is some people are going hunting for the first time.

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